Sunflower maze goes bookworm

Lyman Orchard’s Sunflower maze is in its eighth year, but new this year is the bookworm theme and the partnership with local libraries, which have been hosting story time programs at an event tent near the maze.

Dianne Bronkie said she brings her grandaughter to the maze every year. “It’s for a good cause, too,” Bronkie said. In addition to supporting a local orchard, a portion of the profits from the Sunflower Maze go to support the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center Cancer Unit.

This year, attendees who support the event’s book drive receive discounted admission to the maze. Books were donated to Read and Grow, a non-profit dedicated to promoting child literacy.

John Lyman III, executive vice president of Lyman Orchards and an eighth generation Lyman, said that the causes are important. “Connecticut Children’s is known for creating a really relaxed atmosphere for kids and the hospital, and they do a really good job,” Lyman said.

This year’s maze is shaped like a bookworm in honor of the library events and support of child literacy. “We’ve reached out to as many of the local libraries as possible,” Lyman said, including Levi Coe and the Durham Library. “It’s another fun thing to do over the summer and encourages kids to start reading at an early age.”